Henry-4 month well check

Last week, Henry attended his 4 month well-check with CNP Allyson.  She was his practitioner at his 2 month well check too.  Due to scheduling conflicts, Chris took him to the appointment and brought back lots of notes for me since I couldn't attend.  Don't worry, it all evens out since I took H to PT later in the week :)

Here are the basic stats:
Height- 24 inches (16th percentile)
Weight- 11 lbs 13 oz (3rd percentile)
Head circumference- 39.9 cm (2nd percentile)

So we have a peanut on our hands...no surprise there if you know us.  Chris and I are both on the short side :).  Our little guy is thriving developmentally (holding head up well, rolling all ways, being very alert) but the CNP is concerned with his size and is suggesting we start to introduce rice cereal and oatmeal.  To be quite honest, I was taken by surprise by this and probably a little defensive since I'm Henry's primary supply of nutrition AND I wasn't there to discuss my concerns with starting him on cereal/food so early.  We were told that if we don't start feeding him soon, he will "fall behind even more".  I have a bit of an issue with that, especially considering his gene pool.  After all, everything I've read states that solids should wait until six months (or close to it) because the digestive system is not ready yet and it can increase food sensitivities and allergies.  We already suspect that H has some food sensitivities, that's the whole reason I'm not eating dairy or bananas or spicy foods or broccoli...you get the idea.  So I decided to do some more research before making a decision.  I first started talking to other moms: my Mom, C's Mom, my Mom's group moms, co-workers who are moms.  Basically, it came out to we need to do what we feel is best for Henry.  Next, I checked out some online resources that are well-respected (KellyMom and Science of Mom).  I still want to call the office and ask a few questions (WHO growth charts vs. CDC growth charts) but after much thought about it, we are going to wait until closer to 6 months and follow his cues.  We have been including Henry in family meals in his infant swing for a while and just recently started sitting him in his high chair at the table with us (and a tray full of toys).

Chris also asked her about sleep (and the fact that this guy gets up a lot at night).  Thanks to her advice, we are transitioning to self-soothing.  This means no more rocking H to sleep, which is sad for me, but we are working on teaching him to go to sleep on his own to encourage healthy sleep habits.

And a video in the high chair:

Please know that we do not come from a place of judgement on those who choose to give cereal at any age, this is what we've chosen for Henry right now based on what we feel is best for him.

8 week well check visit

On Wednesday Henry went to the pediatrician for his 8 week well check visit. We met with CNP Allyson, who was awesome! She spent an hour with us answering questions about sleep schedules, vaccinations, development and gas :). I'm so so glad that Chris was able to meet me there, two sets of ears is better than one.

Here are the stats: 10lbs 8 oz and 22.5 inches long. H received two vaccinations (we are breaking them up so he doesn't have so many at once). There were a few areas of concern-both ours and Allyson's:

1. Gas. My oh my, our baby has gas! I wouldn't mind except it really bothers him (like crying in pain, wakes him up at night). H is starting on probiotics and I'm going to "food jail" (aka the elimination diet) to find out if its something I'm eating. Common causes are dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy, green veggies. Once this is under control it should help with issue #2.

2. Sleep schedules. I return to work in 3 weeks and we need to be on some sort of schedule around here. H had been getting up every three hours to eat and had gas in between so not much solid sleep for momma. I'm a light sleeper, especially when it comes to our baby so I was getting very broken sleep. We are working toward a set schedule with 2 hour naps and power feeding (feed every two hours) in the evenings to fill up the tank before bedtime. We are going in to soothe at nighttime wake ups and see if he goes back to sleep and if not, then feed. Allyson said at 10 lbs Henry should be able to go 6 hours at night between feedings. She also said the nighttime feedings were also contributing to nighttime gas (what goes in must come out).

3. Congenital Torticollis. Basically, the muscles in the left side of H's neck are really tight from his position in the womb so he favors turning his head to the right. We are going to see a PT a couple of times to get some exercises to stretch it out. (Wish our favorite PTA Brittany lived closer :)).

All in all, a very productive visit! It was do nice to have time to discuss our concerns and work through them with Allyson. Even though its only been 2 days, we think things are improving! There seems to be less gas/ fussiness and H is sleeping longer at night-he slept from 9pm to 4:30am last night! Amazing!

And now, for some photos:

Hey, I have a tongue!

Our smiley boy!

Bath time!

Post-bath, moving quick!

Playing makes me tired!